The application portal is now closed.
Please check back in late 2023 for information regarding the next funding cycle.
The new Pilot Project Program of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) of the Montefiore Einstein Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) invites all Montefiore Einstein faculty to apply for pilot funding to support Translational Science (TS) projects.
The pilot program supports:
- Generation of preliminary data to refine research strategies, demonstrate study feasibility and establish proof of concept to support subsequent extramural grant applications of projects in translational science.
- Early-stage development of new research methodology and/or new therapy/ technologies/tools/ resources with generalizable application to an identified translational roadblock that will advance translational science and thus increase the efficiency and effectiveness of translation.
Projects supported by this program address a translational roadblock and meet the definition of translational science research. The National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) at NIH defines:
- ‘Translation’ as the process of turning observations in the laboratory, clinic and community into interventions that improve the health of individuals and communities – from diagnostics, preventions, and treatments to medical procedures and behavioral changes.
- ‘Translational research’ as the endeavor to traverse a particular step of the translational process for a particular target or disease.
- ‘Translational science’ (TS) is the field of investigation focused on understanding the scientific and operational principles underlying each step of the translational process.
Whereas translational research focuses on the specific case of a target or disease, translational science is “disease universal” because it focuses on the scientific and operational bottlenecks that are common to translational research for most or all diseases. A key tenet of TS is to understand common causes of inefficiency and failure in translational research projects with the goal of developing generalizable principles to accelerate translational research (e.g., incorrect predictions of the toxicity or efficacy of new drugs, lack of data interoperability, ineffective clinical trial recruitment). You can learn more about TS research here.
Translational research projects, i.e., projects focused on crossing a particular step of the translational process for a particular target or disease, do not qualify for funding under this program.
Funding: Awards are for one year, up to $40,000 direct cost. Funds may be used for non-faculty salary support (research staff, lab tech, study coordinator, etc.). Funds may not be used for faculty salary support. Awarded funds must be expended by the closing date of the CTSA grant year. For funded projects, NIH required documentation must be submitted prior to award start date. IRB or IACUC approval must be obtained prior to project start date.
Eligibility: Faculty only. One proposal may be submitted per faculty member. Any faculty member who has a current grant with overlapping aims is not eligible to apply. The CTS Pilot Program strongly encourage proposals that involve:
- Collaborations among clinical, translational and basic scientists.
- Established investigators exploring innovative new leads or directions in TS.
- Investigators from other areas to lend their expertise in research in TS.
Those interested in applying are strongly encourage to consult with the ICTR Pilot Program Directors, Sofiya Milman, MD (sofiya.milman@einsteinmed.edu) and Sylvia Suadicani, PhD (sylvia.suadicani@einsteinmed.edu) to determine if their projects would meet the criteria for funding by this program.
Timeline: The application portal is closed. Please check back in late 2023 for information regarding the next funding cycle.
Past Recipients of Pilot Project Awards
Leadership